How I Balance My Kid’s Screen Time
Kids - January 25, 2019

This post was sponsored by Amazon as part of an Ambassador Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post contains affiliate links.

With all the craziness going on in the world today, we, as parents need to have more control over what our kids watch and play.  I love getting the kids outside, but some days they want to say in a play on electronics. The Fire HD 8 Kids Edition tablet gives me that control and helps me balance my kid’s screen time.

balance kids screen time

How Much Screen Time Should Kids Have?

Don’t beat yourself up about allowing your kids too much screen time in the past. Experts say it’s not that bad, after all. Just set limits on how many hours.

Does Too Much Screen Time Affect their Brain Development?

Screen time can overstimulate the developing brain and shorten attention spans. And it’s not always about what they are watching, it’s about what they are not doing, like going outside and playing. They need human interaction.

Give Your Children Goals

This year is off to a great start and our family has so many new goals to accomplish for 2019! For myself, I have chosen to eat cleaner, do more reading, more exercise and spend more quality time with my boys.

My boys have also started some new goals.  They get up with an alarm now, get dressed themselves AND make their beds.  Of course, you can’t expect it to be done perfectly, but I give points for trying.  This has worked wonders for the kids.  It gives them a sense of duty and structure.  It has changed the tone of our morning routine immensely.

boy smiling sitting on grass with his kindle fire learning how to  Balance Kid's Screen Time

Kids Should Share Their Tablet

The kids have also settled into playing with their Holiday toys and have chosen which ones they love, like the Fire HD 8 Kids Edition tablet.  They both share it and I know what you’re thinking.

two boys sitting in leaves sharing screentime

How do you get two boys to share a tablet, especially the ever popular Fire HD 8 Kids Edition tablet?

boy sitting at a table with his kindle fire

There aren’t too many things that they are able to share but we’ve figured out a way with the Fire HD 8 Kids Edition tablet,  They both know they have two hours a day, including educational apps and reading the first hour. They are not in a rush to use up all their time at once. 

These are smart boys! Amazon FreeTime encourages learning before play, so they are not just going straight to entertainment.  They do well with structure and need these boundaries.

child holding kindle fire learning how to Balance Kid's Screen Time

The Parent Dashboard

I have learned to balance their screen time using the Parent Dashboard.

The Parent Dashboard helps me keep tabs on my boys.  I can see how much time they are spending on different apps and what books they are reading.  I can add content, adjust the age filter, and modify the web browser. 

I have complete control.  I can see all their digital activity on FreeTime remotely just by going to the Parent Dashboard. It’s even available in Spanish!

FreeTime

My boys can enjoy hundreds of hours of fun with ad-free radio stations and playlists, Audible books, and a growing list of premium kids’ skills available on compatible Echo devices.

Balancing My Kid's Screen Time at table

The Fire HD 8 Kids Edition tablet  also has a two –Year Worry-Free Guarantee so if my boys drop it and it breaks, I can send it back to Amazon to replace it.  Amazon knows how kids are.  They get it.

The Fire HD 8 Kids Edition also comes with a one-year subscription to Amazon FreeTime Unlimited. After the first year, Amazon FreeTime Unlimited starts at just $2.99 per month for Prime members and $4.99 per month for customers who are not yet Prime members.

What do you do to control your kid’s screen time?

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